


Twenty Years Can Change Everything

by Platinum_Sun_490



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confusion, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Fights, Loneliness, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rage, Sibling Bonding, So much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-07-28 17:31:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20067862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinum_Sun_490/pseuds/Platinum_Sun_490
Summary: After Stanley got kicked out of the house, what if he didn't go on the run? What if he didn't become a con man? What if there was someone from his past, someone we didn't know about, that changed everything? How would things turn out?





	1. Introductions

Stanley and Stanford Pines were not only twin brothers, but the best of friends. They did everything together. They were inseparable.

At least, that’s what most people thought.

During their high school years, Stanford got an opportunity to be enrolled in West Coast Tech, a college for geniuses that could become millionaires with their creations. He had been given this news because of his science fair invention, a perpetual motion machine.

Stanley, worried he would lose his brother, accidentally broke the machine out of anger and didn’t tell anyone. It was too late to change anything when the board of West Coast Tech came to see the machine, and it wasn’t working.

* * *

They didn’t let Ford into his dream school. Ford watched as his father kicked his brother out of the house. He graduated high school. Ford went to Backupsomemore. He moved to Gravity Falls to study anomalies with a college friend, Fiddleford Hadron McGucket. He never forgave his brother.

Stanley got kicked out of the house. He joined the army for a couple years. He married a beautiful woman. They had twin girls. They had a son. Stanley and his family moved to the suburbs with his wife’s older brother. Stanley wants to reconnect with Stanford.

* * *

Summer Noel is a wonderful woman who helped out at her family’s diner near the boardwalk in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. She knew everyone in town, especially the Pines Twins. Stanley was always her favorite. They had a lot in common. When she heard about the fallout between the brothers, she avoided Ford every time he came to the diner.

Summer moved away. She met Stanley in a relatively nice restaurant she was in for her birthday. Summer reconnected with her old friend. She and Stanley married. They had twin girls. They moved to the suburbs with family. She accepted Ford’s actions, but never spoke to him again.

Ashley and Amelia Pines are the twin girls of Stanley and Summer Pines. They couldn’t be more different, but they are the best of friends. They have never met their grandfather, Stanford Pines. Seeing how sad it made their parents feel, they’re not so sure they want to meet him.

Alex Pines is the son of Summer and Stanley. He may be young, but he’s smarter than most kids. He loves his big sisters, and they always include him in everything they do.


	2. Summer Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer vacation with a little twist

Summer. A time for leisure, recreation, and taking it easy. At least, that's what most people do. For the Pines Family, summer vacation was...less than ideal. It all started when Stanley Pines and his wife, Summer Pines, decided to spend summer vacation with their three kids at Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. They would be staying in the family pawn shop with Stanley's parents, Filbrick and Caryn Pines.

Ashley, Ava, and Alex, Stan and Summer's children, spend most of their time playing on the beach, going on rides at the boardwalk, or exploring the town. They also spent some of their time helping out around the pawn shop with their Uncle Filbrick or running errands with their Auntie Caryn. It was pretty routine by the first week of summer. They thought it was going to be like that for three months straight, until one day...

* * *

"Whoa...Ava! Alex!! Come see what I found!" Ava, who was helping her little brother wash the mud off a sand dollar in the water, stood up and set it in a bucket of shells they were collecting before hurrying over to her sister. They climbed up a sand dune to spot Ashley standing next to a boat that was mostly finished. However, the wood was rotting away, some of the windows on it were broken, the sail was torn, and so on. Alex giggled as he waddled over to the boat to get a better look. "Boat! Boat!"

"That's right, Alex! You're so smart." Ashley gave him a kiss on the cheek before lifting him up and setting him on the deck. Ava, not wanting to be left out, jumped aboard and began to explore every inch of the relic. It was old, that she knew for sure, but it was obviously someone's pet project. Whoever had been working on it must've been really excited with the outcome.

Before they could play pretend, someone was coming towards them down one of the paths that led from town to the beach. Stanley Filbrick Pines walked towards them, leaning heavily on the cane he depended on so he could walk properly. Before Stanley had married Summer, he had been in the war for a couple of years. He sustained an injury where he would forever walk with a limp. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt with faded blue jeans and work boots. Even though it was well past the 80's-90's, Stanley, to this day, still had a mullet, cause he could rock it. It was tied back so it wouldn't bother him during the day.

When he saw his kids on the boat, his smile faltered. His face darkened with sadness. Ava frowned, hoping they hadn't done anything wrong. Stanley took a deep breath before stepping closer until he was right beside the hull of the broken ship. "I, uh...I see you kids found my old project. Surprised it's even remotely intact."

"Your boat?" Alex asked with wide eyes.

Stanley ruffled his son's hair and nodded. He sat on the edge of the hull, facing the seemingly endless stretch of beach in front of him. The salty waves swept near them, just barely reaching Stan's feet. "Your Uncle Ford and I found this hunk of junk in a cave just down the beach. It was completely broken in half, but we dragged it out of the cave to see if we could have some fun with it. We finally called it "The Stan O' War" after spending enough time thinking about it to the point of us getting pretty bad sunburns. Spent most of our childhood trying to fix this thing. We had a plan to sail away from this town. We'd be unstoppable adventurers! Getting all the girls, finding treasure, and seeing sights no one had ever seen before!"

"Why didn't you?" Ava asked as she sat beside her dad. Stan hunched over, a sad look appearing on his face.

"Well, plans change. Remember when I told you what happened between me and your uncle? About the college?"

The siblings nodded in unison.

Stan continued, "Well, you can't exactly share a dream you've had with someone if that someone...doesn't want to do it anymore. We both went our separate ways, and kinda forgot about the Stan O' War."

Ava and Ashley shared a sad glance, then hugged their father tight. Alex, who was only a toddler, hugged his dad's arm. Stanley chuckled at his kid's attempts to cheer him up, then sat up with a groan. His leg was probably going to start acting up again. "Alright, enough mushy stuff. Mommy's got lunch done, and I don't want you kids playing out here on an empty stomach."

He helped the twins off the boat, and as Ava and Ashley ran to see who could grab the seashell bucket first, Stanley gathered Alex into his arms, despite the extra weight on his leg. The little boy watched his sisters run across the beach towards the bucket, then looked at his dad. Stanley was staring at the boat with a sunken expression. Lowering his head, Stanley turned and walked away from the old thing, as if it had offended him.

* * *

Lunch didn't start until everyone was there at the table. That was kind of a rule. When the front doorbell to the pawnshop sounded off, Filbrick Pines shouted, "Take your shoes off!" He hated it when people trailed sand through his store, so they were to wipe their feet off. Family and friends would take their shoes off before entering. There was the sound of shuffling feet, then Ava and Ashley came into the kitchen and set the seashell bucket on the counter next to the sink. Stanley placed Alex in his seat while Caryn sat next to her grandson and gave him a kiss on the head.

Setting plates down, Stanley took his seat next to his wife and began to tear into a chicken leg. Summer giggled as she watched Caryn try to get Alex to eat his applesauce. One minute, he loves it. Next minute, he doesn't even look at the stuff. "So, what'd you kids do today?" Summer asked after taking a sip of her tea.

"We found tons of pretty shells, Mommy!" Ashley answered.

"We also found a boat. Daddy says it was his," Ava added.

Summer looked surprised as she turned to Stanley for confirmation. "The Stan O' War?" she mumbled. Her eyes had darkened, but tears were welling up. Stan just smiled sadly and nodded.

"Surprised that wreck's still standing," Filbrick grumbled, wiping some crumbs off his face.

"Oh hush, Fil. Stan and Ford worked hard on that boat. Of course it's still standin'," Caryn objected as she tried, once again, to feed Alex some applesauce. Finally, the boy gave in and took a bite. Ava replied, "Do you think we could fix it up? Maybe we can go on a boat ride before the summer's over."

Summer opened her mouth to say something, but Stanley beat her to it. "That's a great idea, honey! I'll help you girls with anything you need. We can start first thing tomorrow."

* * *

After lunch, the girls went out to play while Alex took his nap. Summer was in the guest bedroom with Stanley, who was making a list of things they would need to fix the boat. Summer hesitantly reached for her husband, faltering slightly, then wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "You sure you want to do this? I know it brings up a lot of...unpleasant memories."

"I wanna do this, baby. For Stanford."

Summer didn't say anything. She just hugged her lover tighter as he slowly put the list down.

His body began to tremble.

His breathing hitched.

Tears slipped out of his rapidly blinking eyes.

The pain broke through.


	3. Talks

Ava and Ashley were on the swing set on the beach that faced the ocean. The rest of the playground was either rusted and broken or halfway buried under sand. The swings were all that was left standing. While Ava sat still and read an urban legend magazine, Ashley swung back and forth, leaning out as far as she could when she soared up towards the sky.

"Hey...Ashley?"

"Yeah Ava?"

Closing her magazine, Ave set it down and shuffled her feet, making abstract shapes in the sand. Ashley slowed down until she wasn't swinging anymore. Instead, she was gently swaying, ever so slightly, so she could listen. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking...about Dad, and Uncle Ford. From what I hear, they used to be the best of friends, like us. One little mistake was all it took to tear them apart forever. What if...you and I go through something like that? What if we-"

"No way! I may not be as bright as you, Six, but I know this for a fact! We'll never go through what Dad and Uncle Ford went through." Ashley smiled as she took her sister's hand. Ava looked down at the shapes in the sand. Swirls and squares and circles and triangles...She just sighed and swept her foot over the sand, erasing the shapes.

"I don't know how to think of Uncle Ford. We've never met him, and from everything I've heard about him, he doesn't sound like he cares about his family at all. He hasn't even let his own parents know where he is. I don't know what's true or what's fake. The only true thing I know is that......him and I...are the same." Ava felt Ashley's grip tighten on her six-fingered hand.

"I don't know what to think about him either, but I'm pretty sure he does care. Who wouldn't? We'll meet him someday, and we can ask him ourselves." Ava and Ashley began swinging in unison, still holding hands. Ava smiled at her sister's attempts to cheer her up. Ava was the only person that understood what her twin was going through. Aside from the bullying of the six fingers, both girls were utterly confused about the topic of their uncle. They've only seen pictures and old videos. They've only heard other people's opinions about him. They just didn't know what to think.

* * *

"Have you ever seen a baby that looked old? Like an old baby?" Ashley suddenly asked as she stared at the clouds. Ava burst out laughing as she skidded to a stop by planting her feet on the ground. Ashley stopped swinging to keep hold of her sister's hand as she laughed too.

"I don't recall ever seeing such a thing," Ava managed to say through her giggles.

"Well, then it's official. We've run out of things to talk about," Ashley shrugged as she let go of her sister's hand.

Ava brushed some of her hair out of her face and responded, "Maybe not." She picked up her magazine and flipped through the book to one of her bookmarked pages. "I've been reading about some old myths here in New Jersey, and this one interested me the most. The Jersey Devil! Legend has it that the cloven-hoofed weirdo of the night likes to hide by the boardwalk and steal priceless treasures, like gold! Imagine what would happen if we found this thing!"

"We could get a picture and put it up in Uncle Filbrick's shop!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Not exactly what I was thinking, but that's a good idea too." Ava put the magazine in her bag and led her sister towards the boardwalk. There, the twins entered a general store for supplies. There was a wide assortment of food, tools, weapons, books, and clothes for all ages. "We need to get as many mystery hunting supplies and weapons as we can. How much money we got?" Ava asked her twin.

"Adding up the money I got and the money you got, we got about thirty something dollars. And twelve cents," Ashley said as she did the math on her fingers. Ava nodded, then bent down to look at the rows and rows of handmade pocket knives. She already had one, but she always admired the handmade more than the ones made by a machine in a factory. Someone had actually put their time into one of the creations.

Then, someone called out, "Did somebody say mystery?"

Turning around, Ava and Ashley saw two twin blonde boys dressed in white polo shirts. One of them had a blue sweater wrapped around his waist. The other had an orange sweater tied over his shoulders.

"Yeah, my sister did, like, five minutes ago," Ashley pointed out with a confused look.

Ignoring Ashley's comment, the boy with the blue sweater said, "Whatever."

Ava grit her teeth as she asked, "Who are you guys supposed to be?"

"Creepin' cove captains! I'm Dickie Jr., son of the original Dickie Sibling!" the one in the blue sweater answered.

"And I'm Ascot Jr., son of the original Ascot Sibling!" the one with the orange sweater answered.

"We're the Sibling cousins, and no one cracks a caper quicker than us! Ain't that right, dear cousin?" Dickie Jr. asked.

"You bet your loafers, Dickie! I'd say it's trouble o' clock at Clue Cove!" Ascot responded.

Ashley grimaced as she asked, "You guys do know it's not 1980 anymore, right?"

The Sibling Cousins just rolled their eyes and pulled out a piece of paper. As they unfolded it, Ava and Ashley saw that it was a picture of the Jersey Devil. Looks like they weren't the only ones looking for it. "We've been hearing lots a' rumors about this creepy creeper, so we've decided to catch it and become world famous monster hunters!" Dickie said, shoving the picture in the girls' faces proudly.

"Hey! This is our mystery. Back off, you rich kid, golf loving, blonde socialite stereotype!" Ava said angrily.

Dickie looked offended, then snorted. "You? No offense, but it must be hard to stay undercover when you have six fingers."

Ava faltered as she glanced at her hand. Her face blushed bright red as she hid her hands behind her back. Suddenly, Ashley pushed past her sister and slapped Dickie JR in the face! He stumbled back into his brother, knocking them both to the ground. "Nobody talks about my sister like that, you jerk! Her extra finger means she's special!! She's a thousand times more special than you'll ever be!! Now beat it!!"

The Sibling Cousins hurried up to their feet and ran off with shocked faces. Ava just stood there with wide blue eyes and a slack jaw. Ashley turned to hug her sister and say, "It was the truth. Just saying."

Ava felt tears stinging behind her eyes, but she blinked them away as she hugged her sister back. On the other side of the store, two men watched as the scene came to an end when the girls left the store when they decided they did not need much.

The first man rubbed his hands together, minding his scarred extra finger. His companion glanced at him, then the children. "Do you think they might be-"

"They have to be. No child would defend their sibling like that unless they were the child of Stanley Pines." The two men exited the store, keeping a close eye on the girls.


End file.
